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Congress unit's 'Bidis-Bihar' post on GST sparks huge row: 'Crosses line again'
Bihar leaders condemn Congress for a controversial post regarding GST cuts on bidis, labeling it an insult to the state and its people.
Leaders of Bihar’s ruling alliance hit out at the Congress after its Kerala unit sparked a row with a social media post on the Centre’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms. The now-deleted post on X said, “Bidis and Bihar start with B” and “cannot be considered a sin anymore,” in reference to the GST cut on the tobacco product.
Bihar deputy chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Samrat Choudhary called the post an "insult to the entire Bihar".
"First, the insult to the revered mother of our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and now the insult to the entire Bihar— this is the true character of the Congress, which is repeatedly being exposed before the country," Samrat Choudhary posted on X.
Sanjay Kumar Jha, a member of Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United (JDU), also slammed the Congress, calling it “another extremely shameful act” by the Opposition party.
"Let me tell you that B doesn't just mean bidi, it also means buddhi (intellect), which you lack. B also means budget, which makes you jealous when Bihar receives special assistance," Sanjay Kumar Jha wrote on X in Hindi.
"By making a mockery of Bihar, the Congress has not only insulted the people of Bihar once again, but has also mocked the glorious history of the country and democracy," the Rajya Sabha MP added.
"Believe me, the great people of Bihar will give a befitting reply to the repeated insults by the Congress in the upcoming assembly elections," he further said.
BJP's national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla sharply reacted to the post and said the “Congress crosses the line again”.
“Congress crosses the line again. After abusing PM @narendramodi ji mother now compares Bihar with Bidi ! Does Tejaswi Yadav endorse this? From Revanth Reddy to DMK To Congress- their hatred for Bihar is evident,” Shehzad Poonawalla wrote.
Another BJP leader Ajay Alok said, “The Congress party, the B for 'budbak' (fool) and B for 'baalbuddhi' (childish), has been told of their status in Bihar since 1989. That's why the Congress is out of power in Bihar…Today, they have called the entire Bihar ‘bidi’. So, the 'bidi' will burn them down. They will be wiped out.”
GST reduced on bidis
Under the revised rates cleared by the GST Council on Wednesday, bidis will be taxed at 18 per cent, down from the earlier 28 per cent. The levy on bidi wrapper leaves or tendu was also cut from 18 per cent to 5 per cent.
The council further approved a shift from the existing four-rate structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent to a simpler two-slab system of 5 and 18 per cent, while proposing a special 40 per cent rate for select items such as tobacco and cigarettes.
